Iran Focus
London, 4 Apr – In 2015, the Houthi takeover of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, represented the end of a peaceful uprising and the beginning of war, according to a leading middle east correspondent.
Abdulrahman al-Rashed, the former General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel, wrote an op-ed on the Yemeni Civil War and Iran’s involvement in it for Al Arabiya.
Iran Focus
London, 4 Apr – The Iranian Regime has become comfortable since the nuclear deal was put in place; they now have nothing to gain from attempting to appease those in the West, so why shouldn’t they show their true colours?
Heshmat Alavi, a human rights activist, wrote an op-ed for Forbes stating that now is the time to increase pressure on Iran, just before their election process begins.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Apr – A photo reportedly showing the chief of the Iranian Quds Force, a more violent branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in Syria, surfaced last Friday.
The photo, which can be seen on Long War Journal, apparently shows Major General Qassem Soleimani in the Hama province of Syria.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Apr – A debate in the House of Commons, regarding the influence of the Iranian Regime in the Middle East, led one Member of Parliament to describe the Regime as the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world.
Dr Matthew Offord MP, who represents Hendon, stated that the Iranian Regime controls, backs, funds, and trains Islamist terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas, in order to destroy the state of Israel.
Iran Focus
London, 3 Apr – Sheikh Rashad al-Otari, a Yemeni tribal leader, said Houthi leaders informed him they will send former defense minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi to Iran if the legitimate government does not discuss the demands to release him and others. Al Arabiya, reported on April 2, 2017.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Apr – It has been reported that the French energy giant, Total, has been sending funds to Iran with the purpose of seeing how difficult it is to deal with Iran via the banking system.
Total is considering investing in the Islamic Republic but is proceeding with caution. A compliance officer has even been allocated to ensure that no rules are broken. For example, Americans are not allowed to participate in the projects and any Iranian that has been sanctioned must be avoided.
Iran Focus
London, 2 Apr – With the election in Iran upcoming, it is time to remind people that it is the Supreme Leader who exerts all effective executive power, and all candidates must be approved by the ruling élite, so it does not matter who is President in Iran. Because in Iran, the President is the second-highest ranking official, over him is the Supreme Leader, and he has the final say in all affairs. The President’s powers are limited by the authority of the Supreme Leader. The President does not control Iran’s armed forces, and make decisions on security, defense, and key foreign-policy issues, it is the Supreme Leader.
Iran Focus
London, 1 Apr – A bipartisan bill, the “Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017,” has been introduced with seven co-sponsors from each party. The act establishes new sanctions regarding testing of ballistic missiles by Iran, and its backing for terrorism. The Bill is also an attempt to block the property of any entity involved in the sale of arms to or from Iran. It does not reintroduce sanctions lifted from Iran as part of the 2015 nuclear deal. The Bill seems to mean that the JCPOA (often known as the “Iran Nuclear Deal”) is not going away, but that the United States will continue to confront Iran.
Iran Focus
London, 31 Mar – While Iran calls for the destruction of Israel, according to some experts, an American or Israeli attack against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and military sites would be fairly easy to execute. This is because, although Iran points to technological advancement in their military, it is actually has overextended itself in Syria.
Iran Focus
London, 31 Mar – Earlier this month the new White House administration announced a large package of sanctions targeting Iran, Syria, and North Korea for their efforts to transfer illicit materials and technology. The sanctions targeted 30 entities in 10 separate countries, a range of entities who are complicit in the transfer “of sensitive items to Iran’s ballistic missile program,” according to the State Department.
However, on Thursday, senior State Department officials said that the new package of sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic would not halt the country’s missile development.
